Does anyone have any good ideas for a 1st grade level science fair project? My daughter isn't really interested in any of the ideas provided... she dares to be different. :-) Thanks!
You could make a clay volcano, and she can make it explode, that should be fun for her. I think it is baking soda and vinager, she puts the baking soda in, and when she shows of her volcano she can put the vinager in.
Hope that is fun...
My kids loved the tornado in a bottle.
You take 2-2liters bottles, add 1 half full with water, add food dye and duct tape the ends togather, give it a spin and watch it create a tornado...lots of fun to play with.
Sounds age appropraite for 1st grade as well :)
Depending on how much time you have, she can sprout seeds in rolled up paper towel on a cookie sheet. Just buy some seed packs of large seeds without hard shells(like corn, beans, etc.),roll them loosely in a paper towel and keep the paper towel moist. in a couple of weeks they;ve sprouted and she can write a report on the growth and makeup of the seed, draw a poster, chart growth,etc. This was a fun one out on the farm...
I recall doing "what yeast does to bread" in grade school. We made two loaves of bread and left the yeast out of one. Kneading the dought is fun for kids that age. It's pretty impressive to see how different the two loaves look. We cut them both open to show the difference in texture.
It depends on what your daughter is interested in, though. Think of what her hobbies are or her favorite topics in science class and try to find an experiment that goes along with them.
You could try a valcano. When I was in school We made the valcaon out of papermachae. Then to make it explode we used baking soda vinager and food coloring. Its fun for the kids but alittle on the messy side.
B.
We took ideas off of Blues Clues when my son was younger. We tried the sink/float experience at his 1st grade science fair. Have your daughter try items to see if they sink or float. Apples are great. Also other fruit, nuts, etc. Have her explain why some things float and some dont. We also found great ideas online, but I cannot remember the site. Good luck!
I have a book by Neil Ardley called "101 great science experiments - a step by step guide" - it's a DK book. I love it!
She could make crystals. I'd have to see if I could find some of my old information on how to do it, but I believe you can make crystals from epsom salt. I did that for a highschool project, but that included a report ect...I think it would be easy enough to adapt to a first grade science project, it doesn't have to get as detailed as the highschool project.
If you are interested, PM me and I'll see if I can dig up the directions on how to grow the crystals for you.
Forget the volcano! Everyone does that! Here's a good one...Make your own lava lamp!
Supplies: Clear plastic bottle with a cap, a dropper, cooking oil, food coloring, salt, and water
What to do: Fill bottle two-thirds with water. Add a few drops of food coloring. Slowly pour in enough oil to form a layer on top of the water. Sprinkle a few pinches of salt on top of the oil and see what happens. Keep adding more salt to make the experiment last longer. You can even add glitter at the beginning to make your lava lamp sparkle!
The science: Oil and water do not mix. Why? They have opposing polar molecules. The oil keeps returning to the surface because it is less dense than water. The salt has a greater density than the water, so when you sprinkle it on top, it sinks, along with globs of oil. However, salt is soluable in water, so as it dissolves, the less dense oil floats back to the surface. Cool, huh?
